Extremely Mixed Results Abound
By Dale Calkins
July 24 2005
The largest disparity between teammates was at McLaren, with Kimi 1st and Juan Pablo last. Though Ferrari was quite similar. Michael wetnt for a better grid position and took 5th, while Rubens banked on race pace and placed 15th.
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Extremely Mixed Results Abound |
Dale Calkins |
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Michael
Schumacher Q: 5th - 1'15.006 Michael Schumacher elected to go with a softer compound and lighter fuel load than Rubens Barrichello today, and as such, he set a much faster qualifying time. After experiencing difficulties in the last two races with being stuck behind slow cars (Jarno Trulli perhaps...) Michael knew that a strong qrid position will help substantially. While a win is certainly not likely, Ferrari's bullet proof reliability may yield a podium. Here is what the 7-Time World Champion had to say about his qualifying run at Hockenheim: “I had a clean lap and I think I got the most out of the car, which behaved well. I don’t think we ran with a particularly light fuel load compared with the other cars. It is clear that the two top teams are quicker than us, as can be seen from our performance in free practice. As for the race, maybe I can battle with Button, but aiming for the top is unrealistic. At least I am starting from the clean side of the grid and I hope to put on a good show for all the fans here.” Rubens Barrichello Q: 15th - 1'16.230 Rubens Barrichello made an "interesting" strategy choice today, as he went with a higher fuel load and harder compound tyres. This is a good choice for this track, but it caused Rubens to fall way too far back, as he will start 15th. Rubens may be able to salvage some points tomorrow, but don't expect anything extraordinary. Here is what the Brazilian had to say after his session: “We had two options for this session: to go really quickly in qualifying and try for a good grid position, or to think more in terms of the race. I chose the second of those options, partly because this morning I did not feel the car was perfectly balanced and also I was bearing in mind that tomorrow could be very tough on the tyres. Of course, we will now have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to see if I have made the right decision.” Ross Brawn Technical Director Ferrari's Technical Director Ross Brawn, was reasonably pleased with today's results, and is certain tomorrow will be even better. Here is what Ross had to say about the qualifying session: “At the moment, the main task we face is trying to catch up with the front runners in performance terms. We have new tyre technology here and we had our two drivers on different types of tyre this afternoon. The tyre Michael used proved to be much stronger than Rubens’ choice. Now, we will have to see how the race develops in terms of those tyre choices. Rubens might be able to move up the order if his tyres prove to be more consistent. Michael got the most out of his package, but it is still not quick enough. The weather forecast for tomorrow is mixed and that might give us the chance to do better than our grid positions would suggest.” |
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July 24, 2005 |
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